Tiffany Booth / Seaside Aquarium
A 38-foot dead humpback whale has found its way onto the shores of one of Oregon’s more popular waves, Short Sands. And while a whale sitting on a heavily visited beach would make most assume local authorities will remove it, it seems Oregon’s Parks and Recreation Department is content to let the body enjoy its time in the sand or in the surf, depending on the tides.
According to a story by The Daily Astorian, the mammal washed up on the Oswald State Beach sand Tuesday. While experiencing a series of lower tides Park Manager Ben Cox says “based on the current location of the whale, we’re expecting it to remain in place.” The Astorian says during a busier time of year, when more visitors find their way here, park staff may then bury what’s left of the decaying body.
Meanwhile, Stay Wild Magazine was sure to ask about the obvious implications of this choice…so, are there going to be a bunch of sharks here now, or what? Stay Wild cites the impact of a whale that washed up in San Onofre in 2002. The belief, while anecdotal, is that sharks have lingered in the area because they’re attracted to the natural oils leftover from that whale (which was buried). And as we learned from Wally the Whale earlier this year, getting rid of a giant animal carcass is A) incredibly complicated, B) doesn’t always go as planned, and C) pretty darn necessary when dealing with an area frequented by people. In Wally’s case, the carcass was hauled out to sea six times, only to return to beaches somewhere else, until the body was finally cut up in Encinitas and removed once and for all. In the ’70s a whale washed up on Oregon’s shores and the removal plan went a little like this: “strap dynamite to it and…yeah, that’s actually the whole plan.” Chunks of whale flew everywhere, some large enough to crush a car as far as half a mile away.
So as we’ve learned, there is still no perfect way to dispose of dead whales that find their way onto beaches from time to time. Whether the tide naturally takes the body back out to sea, it decomposes down to the bone, or people step in and remove the thing themselves, there is an obvious chance of dead meat and a gnarly stench lingering in the water. Short Sands has three new surf shops opening nearby according to Stay Wild and it’s already
In the case of Short Sands, the spot itself is known as a go to beginner friendly wave that’s only getting more popular. Does a rotting animal on the beach mean sharks are going to storm Oswald like the beaches of Normandy? Not necessarily, but logic at least tells us it’s an invitation for any and all meat eating animals to start investigating. People will still surf here, maybe doubling up on ear plugs with nose plugs as well. And there you have it. No rush to get rid of a giant dead mammal in the middle of a beach in Oregon – just plug that nose until we kick some sand on it in a few months.
